On Broken Wings
by Fae 206
Summary: Starts during the episode 'I've Got You Under my Skin' with Drop Dead Diva references. When Clark dies whilst trapped in the body of Woody Sams, Lois' world is shaken. However, his soul having regained his powers, Clark discovers that in the afterlife there is a return button, but can Lois really love him in any body even that of a twenty year old law student? - Guilty Pleasure Fic
1. Chapter 1

Before I begin, this is totally guilty pleasure fanfiction. I am writing this story as a fun little thing, whether you read it or not is up to you. I also have seen many fics during my time which are episode reaction fics, and this one is one of mine. It is a Lois and Clark fic with some Drop Dead Diva influence which takes place during the episode, "I've Got You Under my Skin". I've also changed it to take place in modern day with my own political changes. Again, this is for me.

 **Chapter One**

Smoke filled the air which prevented the young reporter from being able to breathe. His eyesight was getting blurry and there was an unimaginable pain in his body. Wait, that didn't seem right? His body only acted like this with Kryptonite or Krypton virus. Yes, those things had prepared him for sickness, but there hadn't been anything like that. It was only when he looked up to see a blur of red and blue that he realized what must have happened.

His heart beat slowed, the gentle thump becoming more of a whisper than a loud and dependable thudding. He was trying to think through the facts logically. As more time passed though he couldn't think logically anymore. He felt movement, he felt his hand being held and someone trying to enter his body. He had to let him. He had to try to let him. Why wasn't this body letting him?

Clark realized too late that he was dead, it was true that the brain ran for a little longer once the heart stopped working. He only had strength enough to let seven words escape into the air that had been drained from his lungs.

"Tell Lois Lane that I love her."

With one last shallow breath, Woody Sams' body slumped and Clark couldn't do a single thing.

Then, all there was, was a cloud of white light.

…..

…..

Lois put one hand on her upper arm to steady herself as she watched the news report. Somehow this felt even worse than usual as if something had gone terribly wrong. It was an immediate response now to switch on the radio or the TV or even go online whenever Superman went to save the day. Too many things had attempted to separate them and if she knew, if she could remember every fact presented on the report, she had enough to act if something did happen.

Then why did something that she did so often carry such a weight with it? Why had her heartbeat turned painful? Why did she feel as if her entire body had been filled with cold shards of ice. She shivered as she continued to look at the TV screen. Somebody had been hurt, but that wasn't an unusual thing. Her husband would talk to her about that, she would see the guilt cross his face when he explained it to her, but he knew deep down that he couldn't save every individual. She would hold him that night, remind him of how good he was and how much better he made the world and then eventually he would agree with her and go to sleep.

His heart was his best feature. She had never met anyone as kind, honorable, caring, and moral as him. So, if what he needed was to be reminded of how loved he was, it was a request she would always ready herself for.

"There was only one casualty. A man, Woody Sams, is dead."

Lois breathed slowly. Okay, so somebody had died. She might see a report on him in the paper soon, but it was normal to have casualties. Now though, now was the time to save her husband. She hoped that the man who had taken over her husband's body was weak so that he could sneak inside and reclaim it. If there was any silver lining, she would be able to see the way Superman reacted to this death and she knew that that would make it easy to see who she was dealing with. She would know, in short, whether to defend herself or whether to defend her beloved husband's heart.

Lois reached for the remote, she needed to steady her mind and plan how to act. She smiled softly before her eyes widened. Before she had done anything, there was a picture of the man who had died next to the video of the body bag. Her hand slipped off the remote and it dropped to the floor as she looked at the image.

The last time she had seen her husband, that had been the body he was in. Putting a shaking hand to her lips, Lois felt herself attempt to understand the situation. She took deep breaths. No, her husband had escaped, he had managed to get out of that body. His soul was somewhere. It just had to be somewhere. Her husband had been caught in a nanosecond of time and still they were together. They were going to stay together.

Clark would never leave her. That was why he had to be alive. He was her hero, her Superman, he would come back to her. He would need her support tonight, but she would have his support and care for years. They would grow old together. This wasn't the time to say goodbye.

Lois turned immediately when she heard a less familiar whoosh from the window. She tried to smile with the tears in her eyes to look at her husband. Her smile slipped slightly when she saw the blonde girl next to him. Who was she? Why had he brought her back here? Surely this was an exposure of his secret identity. Lois didn't know how to react.

She looked at him confused before noticing there was something wrong here, something off. Superman didn't have his proper posture. His hands were shaking more and holding the shoulder of the girl with such tenderness. His face was pale and her eyes drew to the blood on his arm, the rip on his suit. Taking deeper breaths, she found herself looking up into his face.

That wasn't Clark.

His eyes held a certain disappointment in them, but it wasn't the same grief and compassion for the fallen. Yes, it was guilt, but it wasn't the deep guilt that he had in his eyes over a random death. He wouldn't look at her, his eyes roaming around as if trying to find something new in the room. Those were not her husband's eyes. Those were not Clark's eyes and this was not her husband.

"Where is he?" Lois asked as she tried to use her detective edge to study the man's body movements. In her head she knew the truth, but she would never accept the truth. "Tell me or I have ways of making you talk. Where is the man that I love?"

"Mrs. Kent," Becky said slowly, her voice quivering, "You have no idea how deeply sorry I am. I am so so sorry that Mr. Kent, that Clark…"

"Went somewhere?" Lois asked, she wrapped an arm around herself. She had the feeling that she would not want to hear the answer. "Where is he? He wouldn't have left…he's had moments of wanting to leave before, but after what we've been though he…"

"I know how you feel," Woody commented, "I could have used that old body of mine, it would have been pretty good to be back as myself. Maybe gone into the witness protection program or something."

"Daddy," Becky said, "It's not the same. You abandoned his soul in that body, his soul wasn't ready to support it."

Lois stared between the two of them. The words that she was hearing didn't make sense. "Where…is my husband?" she repeated.

"He's dead," Woody said bluntly as Lois rose to her feet. She lifted a hand and slapped Superman's body. Her heart broke a little as she saw pain and the red mark on his face.

"Don't you dare say that about him. He's not dead. I know him, I know the man that I married and he wouldn't leave me. He wouldn't just die. There is another way and you're going to help me find it. He's the strongest person I know. He'd fight. He always fights." Inside, Lois realized the truth, but realizing it and acknowledging it was different. She wouldn't allow herself to believe that she had lost the love of her life. She wouldn't let herself feel that her kind, smart, passionate, loyal, protective husband wouldn't be with her anymore.

She continued to look at the familiar face and her breath stopped. "Oh god," she said as she hung her head. "I want you to get out. Unless you have a plan to get him back or information that will help me either get out or kill me. Take me to wherever he is and I can get him safe."

"Are you asking us to end your life?" Becky asked innocently.

Lois glared, "The only thing that I want right now is my husband, cape or no cape. I want to be with him, to pull him into my lap, to hold him and never let him go, to protect him. You wouldn't even let me protect him. He's gone and I don't even want to imagine his fear at that time. I'm afraid you will never know how much that love means," she said bitterly. "He needs me and you being here isn't helping. You think that he just flies around helping people without feeling anything himself, if you think that then you disrespect him and a body that you disrespect isn't going to have you inside very long."

Woody sighed and went over to the window, he bent his knees but then looked around in confusion. "I can't fly." He closed his eyes and tried to hear but it wasn't working, he then tried to see with X-ray vision, test laser vision, but that wasn't working either. "I'm cut off from the powers of this body. I'm weak," he admitted.

Lois smiled to herself slightly, "That's because you're not him. It's because those powers are what keep him alive. They belong to him and he has the right to use them, only him." She punched Woody again before flipping him forwards and pushing him down to the ground.

"You're hurting your husband," Woody coughed

"When he returns Clark will thank me for getting his body weak enough for him to get it back and he will forgive me for the pain, if he feels any. I am willing to do anything to keep him safe even at the cost of my own life," Lois replied. "And if he can't come back, you have done the two worst things possible."

"Your husband had two personalities," Woody tried to reason, "but I am only responsible for one death."

Lois shook her head, "You're right. As you put it you are responsible for one death. You are responsible for the death of the legendary Superman, a great legend to a lot of people, but even worse you are responsible for the death of my husband, Clark Kent, who is the best man the world has known. Secondly though, you took his body and still continue to remain in it. You have made it impossible for me to grieve for him.

My husband deserves to be remembered, to be grieved for. The world deserves to grieve for Superman and I deserve to have my husband beside me. Clark Kent however, he was robbed the most because he has so many people who love him. There's no way that you can escape that. If my husband is watching, you stopped people showing how they care for him, for knowing him."

"Then don't grieve," Woody commented, "Grieving is unpleasant anyway."

"I don't care how unpleasant you find it. I am allowed to love him, to care for him, so get out because nobody will ever really care about you this much. Now, get out of my house. Now!"

Once left alone, Lois curled up on the bed, her heart breaking. "Please come back," she whispered.

Just as that was said a warm light basked her even though it was the middle of the night. She pinched herself before turning over to see the ghost figure of her husband. His usual business clothes but without his glasses. "C-Clark?" she gasped, "are you?"

"Dead," the ghost asked, "I am. I don't have much time, but I'm working on returning to you."

"Okay," Lois nodded as she touched the light he was made of, "I can't hold you."

"I know," he nodded, "I know that. I have to go, I just needed you to know that I love you."

"If you love me, you need to stay. I'll get you another body or you can have mine. I'll find some way, maybe Doctor Kline knows something," she reached for her phone.

"I'll do my best to come back, but right now I can't stay. I wish I could, but unless I go now then it will be impossible to return to you," Clark promised.

"Then," Lois wiped a few tears away, "Go now, because I know the sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back. I love you so much, Kal-el, Superman, my Clark." She reached out for him again but he had gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It was white in this place, actually it was too white. Heaven always was depicted by the heavenly lights, white clouds, angels who doubled as harpists. At least, that was the Christian view of the afterlife. Being an alien though gave a new perspective on the afterlife. In fact, there had been many possible afterlives that Clark had known about. This however seemed more of a clinic or health spa than an actual place you would be sent to after death.

He needed to find something to do or at least somewhere to go where he could escape from this place and head back to earth. With all that he had been through, death wasn't necessarily the final word, there could be ways back from 'death'.

Avoiding the elevator, Clark went to what appeared a large window and was happy to see his reflection. He was in the body of Clark Kent only without the glasses on. Maybe this was how he was always supposed to look despite how he missed the glasses that marked the difference between himself and the man of steel.

Reaching out towards the window, Clark felt a warmness in his hand as it seemed to turn into a bright and warm light. Focusing on that fact, he could see the whole world before him and calmed his body so the light had covered his whole physical body. Now he could move through space as this light. If he stayed calm enough, he knew he could go anywhere and there was only one destination that his body was telling him to go towards.

It was to her, to her side, to his Lois.

….

A young angel who had died from a car accident outside of Metropolis made her way towards the body of the man she was supposed to meet. Abigail was French but now in the afterlife language wasn't important, it wasn't a barrier anymore between people. She took a deep breath and put a hand on the young space man's back. "Sir, we need you to come back," she said. "We need to figure out your afterlife. I'll give you another moment and then I'll have to pull you-"

Clark turned as she said that, "Of course," he nodded. "I mean, it's okay, I was just…"

"I bet you were communicating with your wife. I know of your many powers, but this will get more difficult if your body molecular structure pulls apart and you're scattered across time and space. Now, I am pleased to say that my name is Abigail and I will sort over your details. I know that during your time in the living world, you have done more good deeds than anyone. That entitles you to a special place in our good place."

Clark sighed, but nodded. He pushed a hand through his hair and nodded. "I'm not ready to move on though. You don't understand how much the people in…"

"The world need their Superman?" Abigail asked. "I do understand that, but we do need to process you. It's such an honor to meet you, but what I really want is to give you the best transition to the next world as possible."

Clark laughed slightly, "The world might need him, but my family needs me. My wife needs me. She may seem the most independent, stubborn, and capable person but trust me, from experience I know that the people who put themselves in the most risk to be hurt and the people who need someone they can trust to help them with it in case they do. I'm not ready to give up on her."

"Your love for her does seem to trump your love for others," Abigail laughed softly before meeting with Clark's eyes and the severity within them. "Alright, well there is one way to get back to her but it is quite risky especially since your original body is still active."

Clark's eyes lit up, "Alright, and in your objective view on this, is it safe?"

"It's been used before," Abigail nodded. She took a breath in, "Let me take you to the computers. We'll need to open your files and then I can let you know how we can get you back. It's only for people who have the kind of goodness score that you have, understand, we only reserve this for individuals who have the few reserved seats in the inner circle of the good place."

Clark nodded, he tried to think about how to handle everything. He had so many questions, some of them being whether or not this was some part of evil corporation to get him trapped. However, all the signs pointed towards him being dead. If he was offered a way to return to his wife, his family, wouldn't it be best just to trust someone and take it? Then again, he could be closing his defenses for someone who wanted to rid the world of superheroes. The decision to be made was agonizingly difficult, but only one image was making him trust the work of those around him. Her.

Abigail had them sit down on opposite sides of a desk whilst she opened up the correct files on the computer. "So," she nodded, "We see here that you really are Clark Kent and we can also see the amazing and inspiring good that your presence and existence has had on the world. I can also see a footnote from my friend Mr. Wells that you are meant to exist in the future so I can tell you your options."

Abigail leaned forwards, she measured her breath as she attempted to relay the information as calmly as she could. "You can either return to earth or not. You can stay here and have your seat in the good place which means that you wouldn't need to help with crime or save people's lives, you could enjoy an afterlife of bliss and happiness or you could return in a different body. This will be selected randomly from bodies that expire at the exact same time your soul returns. You could have the body of a murderer, a drug dealer, or even a doctor. It is completely randomized, but you would be there, on earth at least until that body dies."

Clark watched her closely. Abigail's body wasn't betraying her words, in fact it wasn't showing a single sign of deception. He felt he could trust her, but he didn't know what to say. Being in the body of someone about to be executed wouldn't be good, but being with his wife would fit his desires.

"It's completely random? I would have no choice?" Clark asked as he contemplated the offer. "Would I be able to tell my wife, to contact her."

"I don't see why not," Abigail smiled, "If you wanted to convince her then you could, it's your choice. It's not up to us to convince her though."

Clark nodded, "Okay," he said, "I'll do it. I want to do it."

"Then please press the return button," Abigail showed him and after inhaling deeply, Clark reached out and tapped the button before being surrounded by a different kind of white light.

He had his eyes closed as he heard the heart monitor next to him. "He's alive, thank god" a woman's voice could be heard. "Patient is stabilizing. It's a miracle, we just need to keep him under 72 hours surveillance. This has been a suicide attempt before anyone forgets."

Suicide? So this was a different body. He had wanted to be with Lois immediately, but this was still possible. He just needed to figure out what was happening and whether this was a dream. Most of these encounters with the unknown had not been.

….

….

Seventy two hours had never seemed so long before which seemed a very odd thing to say after going through the things that Clark had gone through during his life. He had always been able to do something or go somewhere, in fact he could have probably flown around the world so fast during seventy-two hours that he could have changed the rotation of the planet and turned time back a century.

Not in this position though.

He had had long enough now so that he could assess his new body. He noticed the way that the pale skin, blonde hair, and larger abdomen made him appear. He noticed the cuts and the sickly look of the slightly huskier body. It would need some work.

He had also noticed things that had made him Superman, or rather Kal-el.

He had focused primarily on his eyes and ears. He still had his abilities and in saying that, he knew where the phones were kept and all the different exit pathways he could have tried to make his escape using. He had noticed also how his voice sounded, the accent of somebody who had grown up very far from Kansas in an urban area.

He had also heard his name, Troy. He had heard about how much his parents loved him, how he had siblings and other close relatives. He had heard about a dog that the family had. He had heard all of this about Troy, but he hadn't heard anything about Metropolis, about Clark Kent, and the only thing he had heard about his own body was that the man of steel had not been seen in a long time.

So, either his body was dead or the man who had led to the events of his death hadn't cared enough about others to risk his own life in saving them.

All he wanted to do when he was released from this hold was to call the woman he loved more than anyone.

Yes, the woman he loved.

He didn't know how to explain any of this to her. He knew that she trusted he would come back for her. He knew that she would love him in any body, but did that include this one as well. As much as Troy hated to admit it, the body of a fully developed reporter was quite different from this puffy body of a nervous pre-law student.

As the time to his release counted down, Clark thought about calling about the right words to say. The right words to give hope to someone who needed him to do so, but nothing sounded right. He would have to leave and go there, that was the only way of really proving who he was.

At least rejection was sometimes easier to deal with if it was done in person.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The world was very quiet these days, almost as if all the hope that had been with people had vanished and they'd become helpless without their caped superhero. People never seemed to notice their reliance on somebody saving the day until something like this came up. Sirens went for longer, police couldn't get backup, and people were more anxious. How could life be like this?

Glancing back at her husband's old desk, Lois took a few deep breaths of her own. She wasn't giving up on the hope that he would return to her, but she didn't think it would be in his old body. What would happen then? She looked around the newsroom and made her way towards the desk, picking up the name plaque and holding it. He was going to come back for her, right?

As Perry passed her, Lois reached out a hand. "He's not going to come back," she said, "I mean, after what he's been through it'd surprise me. He's not the same and he's changed well, everything including me. I mean, as his wife, don't you think I understand that if he's not coming back to me then he's not going to come back to his work. There's no reasoning him into doing anything."

Perry sighed as he glanced over the desk of the star reporter, "Listen, I don't know what's going on with you two lovebirds or if this is a he-said-she-said situation," he raised his hands up in defense, "but office regulations say to give him to the end of the week."

Lois looked down, if only he was actually Clark in that body, then as stubborn as he could be, it would be easy. He wouldn't leave something like this unfinished. She couldn't imagine him leaving her, but leaving his job? His credentials? Not being able to figure out what to do with the future? That wasn't him.

Clark Kent was a responsible, honest, loving, morally upstanding individual.

This was not him.

"Not to bring it up here," she tried again, "but I doubt he's coming back. I'll have to see him again when it comes to any divorce proceedings so if I just take his belongings now it frees up some space for someone new?" she said waving a hand around at items that she would take care of later but had to pretend they were insignificant now.

"Someone new?" Perry asked, "If you think we have time to be interviewing someone to—"

"Alright. Give Jimmy the desk, he's already had articles published, bring him in to the big leagues," Lois tried to argue. As if summoned, Jimmy came right beside Lois with his happy go lucky smile.

"Not such a bad idea, chief. I mean, if CK isn't coming back then you need someone who can write and trust me," he laughed, hoping to convince his boss of taking a chance on him, "I can write. I can get those pieces right out, anything you need."

"I bet that comes with a pay rise too," Perry chuckled, "well if Kent isn't coming back it's a good idea."

Jimmy smiled before looking at Lois and trying to have a more serious expression on his face. "I mean I really hope that he does come back. With all the good that he's done here, he has done a lot of good hasn't he?"

"You have _no_ idea," Lois replied as she steadied herself with a few breaths.

There were no words that could come close to describing the heart ache that came with not knowing where he was or even if they would be together again. Yes, she had gone through this before, but instead of feeling more capable with the situation, it made it worse. One of these days he wouldn't be able to come back and they would run out of chances.

Lois picked up a picture that Clark had on his desk of the two of them. She was extremely lucky to have found him, for him to be in love with her. There was nobody on earth like him and that was without thinking about Superman, that was just…him.

She was interrupted from her memories by the loud chuckle of Perry White.

"Speak of the devil," he said as Lois turned to him, "now I can't say I agree with the get up he has on, but at least he's back in business. Should I give the two of you a moment alone?"

Lois looked in the direction where everyone was looking. In a white tank, leather jacket, and tight blue jeans was her husband's body. Given how he was dressed coming here, that was still Woody Sams. What he was doing here however, that was a mystery.

Lois felt her body tense in anger as she made her way towards the imposter and slapped him. "What do you think you're doing here?" she asked in frustration as a few people took a step back.

Woody laughed, "I'm here to collect my paycheck, isn't this where I get paid?"

"Actually," Perry said slowly, "I think you've mixed up the days Kent, it's tomorrow that is payday. I do have an assignment for you, you know unless you're under cover or something. Don't want you turning to another paper."

"Trust me, I have no intention of writing for another paper," Woody laughed, "In fact I don't have the intention of writing for any paper."

Lois looked away and then stared straight into the unrecognizable eyes, that was the first way to keep convincing herself that this was her husband's body but not her husband's soul. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here. If you had any decency then you would have never come here. Not after what you're responsible for."

"What is he responsible for?" Jimmy asked one of the other reporters who shrugged.

"Listen, all I want to do is get my paycheck and beat it. Don't want to talk to you or anyone else, I just need the money."

Lois looked at him, "Well, you're not getting it today so I'd say go and do whatever you think will make you the money after claiming for a story that you did not write."

Woody looked away, "How about the fact that I'll get fame and fortune when I am the story."

Lois stared confused only to look horrified when she saw the glasses coming off. She took a few steps back and heard the gasps. Jimmy went to the paper and found a print of Superman.

"Wow, that's…pretty identical," he said in shock. "Who knew that…"

"just a pair of glasses could conceal the appearance of Superman. It was funny how fooled you all were. Did you ever wonder why we were never in the same room."

"So all this time, we've been working with Superman?" Perry asked, "So…is it still Clark or…gawd, am I having a dream. It doesn't seem right."

"It does make sense that the three of you were all such good friends," Jimmy commented as Woody took off the shirt to reveal the suit underneath.

"I only concealed my appearance to protect those that I love. I guess nobody here fits that," he said before putting his shirt and glasses back on and walking out.

"Boy," Perry said, still speechless about what to say, "Guess there are some secrets out there which are bigger news than the king's ghost."

….

….

It had already been a two and a half hour train ride between the hospital and the heart of Metropolis, but Clark didn't feel he had another way. As Troy he didn't have a superhero identity, he didn't have a cape or a costume and he only had drugstore glasses to try to make himself look more like himself.

The family he had met had been told to keep an eye on him so that he didn't add to the heavy slashes underneath the bandages on his wrists and lower arms. The thing was that although these wounds, and the slightly nauseous feelings of the drug overdose was still giving him pause, Clark had no desire whatsoever to return to the afterlife.

Maybe people would be worried, but if he went into the city he might be able to head home or at least to the office. Get a safe space, his mind was telling him, and you can figure out the next plan of attack.

As he watched the train car approach the city, he let himself listen to the different conversations that aired in the car.

"So it was proved. Clark Kent is Superman."

That wasn't good. Clark put a hand on his forehead, what on earth was happening? Didn't that guy who had taken his body understand that there was a reason to have two different identities. Sure, he didn't expect that man to care about the people he cared about, but surely they had connected him to his daughter, the two would have been seen together. Had he even considered her in all of this?

He fidgeted with this new body. It was weird, different, but this was the vessel in which he had to live his life. He wondered how it would look when he got it into shape or how he could modify the hair and the clothes, this outfit of a white button up shirt and hounds tooth pants wasn't his preferred attire.

However, when he looked at himself in the window of the train he didn't look like Clark Kent, he didn't even look like his adolescent Kansas farm boy self, if anything he looked like a younger version of the war hero Steve Trevor.

As the train car pulled into the city, Clark stood and readied himself to get out.

He looked up at the city, the news about Clark Kent being the man of steel was everywhere. He felt exposed and in need of an escape, but he already had that. He had his escape in the body of Troy. All he wanted was…

"So, how does it feel being married to Superman?"

"Does this insider perspective of events reflect on your stories?"

"Are you willing to sell the movie rights? We'd love to have them."

Clark watched as Lois attempted not to say anything to the press. She was a reporter and very skilled in knowing how to avoid the press. However, everyone around her was creating this barrier between them and he didn't know how to get through to her.

Making a mad dash he came and stood before her which made everyone look at him.

"Mi-Miss Lane," Clark said not sure what to say.

"Come on now you've got college papers?" she asked, she paused before looking into the eyes of the person before her. She blinked before smiling weakly, trying to figure things out. As she stared into those eyes though she could swear she felt the connection.

"I…" Clark repeated weakly.

"You've got a great pair of glasses," Lois said before whispering to him, "Meet me later, you know where the key is."

Clark took a step back before smiling, maybe she didn't quite trust who he was but at least she was questioning it. At least he got her attention.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Lois took a deep breath as she asked to be let out of the cab a block before the house. She kept thinking of that young man's smile, his eyes, his hope. Everything pointed to him having some connection with Clark. Maybe immediately jumping to the conclusion that it was him was wrong. Oh god, and she had invited him into the house.

Did it even matter anymore?

The world knew that Clark and Superman were the same person, maybe he had just wanted to get something to sell. Maybe she would one day find her house robbed and her office ransacked due to people wanting to sell these memorabilia online. Superman wasn't a celebrity in that way, he wasn't a model or a speaker. He was a superhero and superheroes shouldn't care about money.

She sighed as she heard a flutter of a bird's wings, but with the anxiety she was carrying it could have been a bird, a bat, or even an owl.

Arriving at the house that she and Clark had made a home, she smiled a little as she saw the man sitting on the doorstep. She looked around. Had he hired a photographer to shoot some pictures, were there people hiding to ask more questions about Superman's domestic life and how she felt she fit in. The strange thing was that nobody else seemed to be here, just her and the man holding up a coffee cup.

"Decaf," he said as he handed it to her and ran a hand through the blond hair.

"Health reason or are you just being considerate?" she asked with a smile, "Look, you have to be honest with me here. I swear that one false move and you won't be here for your twenty-fifth birthday, but you look…your eyes."

"Starting to recognize me for the man I was?" Clark asked as he watched her, "I always thought you were beautiful when the light bounced off your face like that."

Lois sighed, she sat down next to him. Putting one hand to his cheek, she sat back. She inhaled deeply before asking, "Do me a favor?" she asked, "Don't move."

Clark nodded very softly before concentrating on his breathing.

Lois slowly ran her hand through the thick blond hair and slipped off the glasses. She closed them before setting them down on her knee. Her eyes ran up and down the body again before she allowed her lips to tenderly sink upon his. At his natural movement, she trusted him more. As young as he was now, this was his husband. Her sweet and loving husband.

She pulled back, "Please tell me you're over eighteen," she whispered desperately as she looked at him. Tears filled her eyes, "You're so….young. Please tell me that it's not against…"

"According to all the data I've found, my new name is Troy O'Neil. I am a twenty-year old law student who was born in Montana and has lived in various places over the course of two decades." Clark replied as he saw the relief of his wife's face. "However, I am still him. I have my soul. I even have my powers," he laughed weakly.

Lois blinked, "Does that mean you're safe. I mean your body, how can you make an adjustment with your abilities, aren't the physiological differences too much."

Clark shrugged, "I don't feel different on an internal level, it's just that this body is slightly…larger than my other one and I'm worried about how exercising can change it."

"Appearance isn't important," Lois said quickly, "but…" she paused and smiled, "You still are very attractive."

Clark grinned, "Thank you," he nodded, "I wish I could stay but…"

"there's somewhere that Troy needs to be," Lois nodded, "How's your flying ability?" she asked as she handed him back the glasses. "Can't you just zip in and out of there and be here?"

"I don't feel capable of doing it yet, but I will try" Clark smiled. "I love you. I'll contact you as soon as I can."

Lois nodded, "At least I get to have you back in some form, I love you too."

….

….

As Clark, now Troy, made his way home he smiled at the world. Sure, it would take some getting used to and he had to figure out his limitations and his body, but he had the one most important part secured, his wife…or soon to be girlfriend anyway. With Lois beside him, things would be a lot easier. He had someone who knew, someone that he could depend upon.

Not everyone had that which made him extremely lucky.

He felt his stomach tighten as he made his way back to the train station, he was starved and in this body it wasn't hard to understand why. Just stopping at a nearby convenience store would be good enough, or a café, or even a stand. He had concentrated too much on seeing Lois and too little on taking care of himself. It was time to test this body's metabolism.

As he crossed to the business area of Metropolis, he saw a sign from a cafe that he often frequented. Okay, so he could go there and get some kind of pastry and coffee. Then once he got off of the train, he could get something else.

He made his way towards the store and his eyes opened. There were muggers there and they had their gun on…Jimmy Olsen. This was bad.

Clark didn't have a superhero outfit or a disguise, if he were to have an alter ego he wouldn't even know the name of them. He did however have a deep love for his friend and a need to protect him. He had been given a second choice, but he was thinking that Jimmy wouldn't be so lucky.

"So now that Superman is retired," one of the men said, "You know all of his secrets such as where to find him."

Jimmy laughed weakly, "Listen, I don't know where to find the guy. If he's retired then he's gone somewhere and hasn't told me. Trust me, I'm not all that important to him."

"You could have said that about Superman, but weren't you friends with Clark Kent?" the other man asked.

Clark could feel Jimmy's heartbeat from where he stood. He could feel the sweat and anxiety from his friend. This was a different circumstance, someone he cared for deeply could be really hurt. He heard one of the men take a gun out from his pocket and hold it up causing the new reporter to raise his hands in defense and surrender.

"Take whatever you want, my wallet, my phone, I even have my credit cards on me. I won't fight back I…" he said, his eyes widening in fear.

"We want to have Superman," the first man said.

Clark looked at the details of the situation more closely. He could see the anger of the two muggers and he had a feeling that they weren't joking around. Another wrong move and the gun would be triggered. As healthy as his friend was, there wasn't a chance of him surviving that bullet if the gunman knew what he was doing.

Life was all about sacrifice and as the gun was shot, Jimmy stepped back.

…It was an odd feeling not having blood drawn out from a bullet, but there was a slight warmth in Clark's hand as he held onto it. He knew that he had exposed at least some part of himself, but this was his friend and you made sacrifices for those you cared about.

There was a slight echo as he dropped the bullet to the ground.

Wide eyes looked at him as he stood there. He knew he was the youngest person in this but it was important to stand his ground. Another bullet was shot and Clark caught it again. With a few restrained hits, he was able to land both guys unconscious and wrapped some nearby rope around them. "Jimmy are you okay?" he asked, forgetting at the present about the mixed up body.

The reporter/photographer stared at him, "You know…my name. Who are you?" he asked

Clark took a few steps back, his mind wrapping around the situation. "I've read your articles," he said trying to keep his voice calm. "You're an idol when it comes to writing and your work ethic. I'm kind of a fan of you."

"Well, right now I'd say I'm a bigger fan of you," Jimmy laughed as he heard the sirens. "I'll wait for the cops if you want to get out of here."

"Thanks," Clark nodded, "I do appreciate that, take care of yourself."

Jimmy nodded, staring wide-eyed and with a wide grin as he watched the man who had just saved his life. There wasn't really an explanation on this other than his help with the Smallville incident that had introduced him to multiple people from Krypton. That must be where he learned his name and it was good that if Superman had retired someone new could defend them.

Jimmy looked up at where there was a nearby security camera, if he could just get that footage and try to remember the incidents that had happened about a year ago, then he could figure out who that guy was. It felt wrong to publish an article about him without giving him a chance to be interviewed, but he could at least show his thanks.

He grinned before adopting a more serious expression for the police officers as he tried to explain his situation.

….

….

Clark ran a hand over his forehead as he sat on the train, coffee in one hand and a muffin in the other. Had he been stupid to get involved in the fight that had just happened? Jimmy was always eager for a story so maybe the exposure would not be good, but on the other hand, if he had let his friend die because of Superman it would give him a much more unpleasant feeling.

What he did know now was that he wanted to be in Metropolis, he could attend the university and act like he was renting out a room from Lois Lane. Though they would have never have done it with him as Clark Kent, it was different now, the threat of exposure of the Superman secret wasn't there anymore.

He could get a job, get some money, start a new life whilst keeping important elements from the old.

As long as he kept calm and tried to think of himself as Troy then there was a lot he could achieve with this new life. Hopefully it would turn out okay. Hopefully the age difference would not be a problem and that Jimmy would soon forget this incident or at least forget what he looked like. When people were in tense situations you always had a blurred after image of the events and it wasn't as if any pictures were taken or video recorded.

Picking up his cell phone, Clark called the number that he most often dialed.

"Hello? This is Lois, who is…"

"Honey, it's me, Troy." Clark said as he heard the relaxed breath of his wife on the other side, "I was hoping you could do me a favor?"

"Of course," Lois nodded as she went to get a piece of paper and something to write with. As many instructions as her husband were to give her, she would try to follow each and every one of them. "Does it mean you'll come back sooner?"

Clark laughed, "I was wondering if you could find me a job at the Planet"

Lois grinned, "I'll definitely see what I can do, pull a few strings if I have to. We'll make it work."

Clark nodded, "Thanks honey. Please remember when you're in bed tonight how much I love you and how much being apart is making me ache."

"I love you too, no matter what body you're in, Troy." Lois said, "Sweet dreams."

"Of course they'll be sweet," Clark laughed, "because I'll be dreaming of you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Jimmy stared wide eyed as he looked at three different video recordings all at once. He had managed to adjust the timing on two earlier videos of Superman stopping muggers with the recent one of him being saved in the middle. Maybe it was just the pattern of fighting, but the moves and techniques in the three slowed down videos looked the same. It must just be technique.

However, the younger man had known his name. He had addressed him with such familiarity as well. Jimmy played the videos again, making note of everything from the look in the heroes eyes to the way he moved his hand. They looked identical.

It wasn't the weirdest thing to have clones or even body switching, he might never have believed it if he hadn't turned older. Whatever it was though, this would either turn out to be a story or lead down an equally exciting rabbit hole.

The idea of Lois slapping Clark, of divorcing Clark, of treating him the way she had was completely out of character for her.

Exposing his identity, quitting the paper, trying to get more money, that was completely out of character for Clark.

Things only made sense if he worked under the hypothesis that the man he had saved him was Clark Kent, or rather Superman, in a different body. As a reporter you had to work as a detective and as a detective you could not rule out the improbable no matter the likelihood. This wasn't as if he was helping a rabbit's clone reclaiming a teapot. Human problems made much more sense and the way the two moved it was clear that this was more about psychology, identity, rather than anything else.

Either this kid believed he was Superman or he actually was Superman.

Perhaps delving through a few more recordings would turn that hypothesis into a theory, he just needed to figure out how to prove it.

….

….

Clark smiled as he watched Lois eat her pastry. The two were sitting in a quiet corner of a café near their home and to any passerby it would look like Troy O'Neil was being interviewed for a position at the Planet. In fact, truth be told, he had already been offered a place as an intern at the Planet which Perry had done as a personal favor to Lois. Fortunately, it was a paid internship although the O'Neil family had a lot in the bank and Troy even had a trust fund for when he was twenty-one.

"So," Clark smiled as he showed Lois a manila folder, "I managed to get all of the college work that I've done and a few new tests and I'm all set to start transferring to Metropolis University."

Lois laughed softly and shook her head. "You should really go back into journalism," she stated, "Come on you've got years of experience, Troy, you would pass all of those classes with flying colors and I do mean flying."

Clark looked at the paperwork again, "I love reporting on the news, you know that, and even those personal stories make me feel more human, but this body loves the legal field and if I follow this path not only will I be able to save people, I'll be able to defend them too. Well, as long as they aren't suing my new identity."

Lois nodded, "I guess that makes sense." She reached her hand out and ran a finger over his bandages on his wrist. It had been about four days since she had learned his new identity. Still, she wasn't completely used to it and she worried about the marks that Troy had left on his arms. She was also curious to know whether Clark had been able to self-heal them.

"You know, your body must have shrunk a little and I don't mean in the way it did after the reunion, god was that a mess, but you must have developed your past metabolism at least a little," she mused. She watched him as he nodded and thought about what clothes would look best on him. Being young and blonde, he was definitely different from her husband and the same suit and tie combination might not be the best. Maybe a sportscoat or even vest combination would be good. Or even just a white shirt and black slacks with a good fit to them.

"I've been thinking that myself," Clark nodded, "I think the sooner I'm around people that don't know this body the better. I wouldn't know how to explain it and that means I have to honor this body and his wishes. I think pursuing law is a good way of doing that."

Lois laughed and held his hand, running her thumb over it in small circles. "Well, look at you, the man with the kind and loving heart."

Clark smiled happily, he looked around to make sure that nobody was watching them and gently lifted his wife's hand and kissed the back of it. "I love you," he whispered.

Lois shook her head, "Same," she nodded. "You're the only man who could literally throw a lasso around the moon and give it to me."

For a few passing moments, the two of them just sat there gazing at each other and thinking about how lucky they were to have a chance after death. That was something that most people didn't get. It was a second chance on life and love and even though there was definitely an age difference, they were together and that's all that mattered.

The two didn't even notice when Jimmy Olsen approached their table, his eyes studying them and his breath slow to keep a calm exposure.

"Morning Lois," he said, "Hi, CK"

"Hey, Jimmy." Clark said as he looked up at the photographer who smirked to himself, although there was such shock in his eyes. "Uh, I mean…hi there" he said after Lois nudged him with her foot. The two looked up at the photographer.

"You know?" Lois asked raising an eyebrow, "I mean, there's nothing to know, I mean how are you doing today Jimmy?"

"Trust me," Jimmy grinned as he pulled up a chair, "after reviewing that video tape, seeing the two of you together, totally obvious. So, you going to tell me what happened?"

The two lovers looked at one another, both trying to search for an escape route. Clark looked guiltily at the table before turning towards his friend.

"Are you hoping to run a story on this?" he asked before Lois blinked hard and interrupted.

"What are you talking about? What video tape? What's going on here?"

"Security footage," Clark admitted. "I wasn't going to let someone stop and hurt one of my closest friends. Even if my secret was revealed, which I didn't think was possible, it doesn't mean I let someone that important to me die. So, are you looking for a story on this?"

"Nope," Jimmy grinned, "There are some things much more important to me than getting an article published even on the front page. You're absolutely right CK, you are one of my closest friends and I'm just trying to figure out what's happening. I'm telling you, losing your friendship would hurt a lot more than losing my job."

"I need that down in writing," Lois said as both men looked shocked.

"I trust him, I mean, I know he's not going to write anything about it,"

"Definitely not," Jimmy smiled, "but I do feel that I'm owed some kind of explanation about what has happened. I'm not some dumb kid that can be fed an excuse, I'm a reporter of the Daily Planet. I need facts."

"Should I start before or after I died?" Clark said, "because either way I think we need a less public place."

Jimmy looked up and down the body, he was confused. He had seen Clark Kent, or at least someone inside of Clark's body, Superman's body, and that guy was definitely not dead. Did being put inside another body kill you? Was this a reanimated corpse or some vessel that his spirit had had to enter? How on earth could the man of steel die?

"You…what?" Jimmy asked confused.

"We most definitely need a less public place if we're going to discuss this," Lois agreed.

….

….

The couple had taken about an hour to fill Jimmy Olsen in on what was going on. Even though Clark was alright telling their friend everything, just knowing that someone else had dangerous knowledge put Lois on edge. What if there was a falling out and Jimmy decided to write everything down. There weren't people who you could blindly trust in this world, everyone had a folding point and in Lois' mind every single person could be bought, well not every single person.

Gazing at Troy on the sofa, she let her breath soften. She had him here tonight and hopefully she would be able to keep him here for many nights to come. Even though he was young, this was her husband and she needed him to be safe. The human body was only a wearable item that the soul used, but where he sat, reading her articles from the newspaper, the light did make him look awfully adorable.

Clark gazed up at her as he folded the paper, "Are you going to look at me like that all night?" he asked as he reached out a hand towards her.

"Well, you are taking your time on that paper," Lois commented, "we both know how fast you can read and when you take your time with something I get to see you in one position longer. It's nice to have something so calming to watch."

Clark laughed, "You could see me in many different positions tonight if you wanted to. One day we're going to have to test what moves can actually be performed in this body."

Lois hummed, "As much as I agree with that, perhaps tonight isn't the best night to run those tests. I am more than happy just knowing that you are here with me." Lois came beside him and ran her fingers through his hair, she removed his glasses and kissed him passionately as he moved into the kiss. "I don't know what I would have done were you unable to come back," she said sweetly.

Clark chuckled, "Fortunately, neither of us had to find out."

As the two shared the intimate moment, there was the sound of the doorbell and a knock at the front door. Lois sighed and kissed her husband's forehead, "Didn't know Chinese food took that short a time to be delivered."

"With the fortune cookies it takes less," Clark joked, thinking about an old moment they had shared together.

Clark was about to look up when he heard Lois' gasp and anxiety, he steeled himself for the situation, jumping onto his feet before his eyes widened and mouth dropped open.

"Jonathon! Martha!" Lois said as she awkwardly hugged both of them, "What are you…"

"Clark is acting extremely strange," Jonathan said, "I was hoping that you might be able to help us help him."

"Is he here?" Martha asked before coming into the house. She stared at the blonde boy, pausing just for a moment as she studied him as if she knew him. She looked at Lois, "I didn't know you were entertaining, we just barged in and ruined your night. Honey I am sorry about this."

"Don't be…" Lois whispered, "You two are always welcome here."

Jonathan looked at the boy before him and held out a hand, "Sorry, Jonathan Kent, it's good to meet you. Are you a friend of my son's?" he asked.

Clark looked at his parents not knowing what to say. "I…" his heart ached as he watched them. Was it fair not to tell them, he had told other people and these were his parents, surely there was an exception here or was telling him unfair in itself. Telling them that their son had died and they couldn't have stopped it.

Lois watched him look between them in horror.

"Are you okay, dear?" Martha asked, "You're turning extremely pale. What's your name?"

"I…" Clark looked around, his eyes landing on a picture of himself as a teenager graduating highschool whilst his parents stood on either side of him. "I'm the real Clark. I'm your son," he replied, his body starting to shake a little from fear he rarely had.


	6. Chapter 6

Author Note: I wrote a different chapter six which I posted but I felt it was wrong. I felt I was trying to do so much so I've replaced it with this one. I will also leave a note on Chapter Seven because of this. I've had the flu recently, but I like the subtleness of this chapter a lot more.

 **Chapter SIx**

With all the luck that he had been having, Clark had thought that putting himself on the edge couldn't have anything other than positive results. He had felt that telling his parents who he was could save them from heartache. After all, these were people who had supported him against all odds. These were the people who were supposed to love him unconditionally and staring out at the sky, it felt as if there was an even greater disconnection.

So far things had been going well. His wife and close friend believed him, he was going to be living in the house he had bought and the home he had made with his wife. He was going to start learning a whole new subject, get a degree that had never appealed to him before. He was going to start his life on the right foot.

That was until he realized that it wasn't that easy.

With everything that he had gone through, that he had experienced during this deceptively simple life he had lived, he had thought telling his parents about his identity would be as easy as scraping the skin off a sauce.

He stared at his new hands as he realized that even though he wasn't technically alone, he couldn't gain it all back. He had his abilities and memories, yes, but somebody else had the cape, the emblem, his life. It was going to take a lot of work to realize that he couldn't go backwards and he just needed to turn forwards in life.

"Y'know, since he retired, I'm starting to like that Superman guy a lot more," a member of a street gang said as they pulled up to the harbor where Clark, no Troy, was sitting. Clark turned around, there were three men here and there was definitely something deceptive happening, he might need to get in contact with the police even though he didn't want to.

"Are ya saying that the stuff aint gonna sell?" the second man, a relatively stick like figure with two guns on his person continued, "I mean if Superman got good and aint gonna be a threat to us, boss, well who's gonna buy the stuff."

The first man grinned as Clark stood, getting off of the deck and swinging to sit at the side of the port, he peeked out for a second as he looked at the different clues all around. He just wished he had a notebook or a camera. Without evidence this wasn't going to do him any good, he knew he couldn't develop a story without any meat on the bones. Without evidence, there wasn't anything going on. He felt his phone buzz and grabbed it and quickly silenced it.

Lois: I promise we'll work on convincing them together. You know I'm not a fan of redundancy, but be safe out there. Love you.

It was too early to just text back despite being invulnerable. If he could just secure some evidence of what these men were doing. He knew that any person in the presence of gangsters was not safe, but he felt safe being in an unknown and unrecognizable body.

"Y'know boss, Superman has a lot of enemies," the third guy said, "Sure some of them want revenge and they'd love to see him squirm. Maybe even some kind of blackmailing tool, you know, we give it ta them and they tell Superman he has to join them or…"

"Then why aren't we using it?" the second man said, "Having Superman on the team really helps us score big, plus with that element of surprise we can put our hands on anything we can grab."

Clark stared at the box, he adjusted his glasses and took deep breaths as he realized what they had hold of.

He wasn't sure what kind of effect Kryptonite would have on his old body, but it was definitely making him feel ill as Troy. As much as he hated the idea of his body being out there, if it was going to lead to someone's death then he had to try to stop it.

He watched as a second car arrived and tried to get all the clues he could, he repeated the license plate number to himself committing it to memory. This was the buyer. If he could commit this entire encounter to memory then he could both find out who it was who wanted to kill him so badly and then he could also retrieve the item or help Lois retrieve it.

A seasoned news reporter like Clark Kent was an obvious target if he started to look into cars. It was easy to track him down and even easier to understand what he was doing. Even Superman would have that kind of reaction and attention drawn to him. Troy however, a young nobody, he could solve these crimes more easily.

All he needed was patience and the guts to do it.

After a total of nine minutes was the first time that this patience paid off as he came up from the edge of the water and looked down into the water where there was a $100 bill just sitting there.

Now he just needed to put pen to paper so he would have everything ready for the next step.

….

….

Martha Kent loved her family, that was one thing she was always proud of. In her heart, she had the love of her life in her patient and loyal husband and her life had become even more wonderful when they had discovered the infant Kal. Not knowing what else she could do, she had learned to love the little boy, her Clark. She had seen him fall time and time again and still get up with a smile and a want to do good in this world.

Taking deep breaths, she thought about the disappointment in the young man's eyes when her husband had told him not to try any sick games. She could see that look of hurt and betrayal, but what he had been asking them to believe was near improbable.

She was also disappointed in him, he had had a chance to speak up and try to prove those words were correct but instead he left. He ran away and that only seemed to prove to her husband that he was lying. Martha wasn't as sure about it.

Although Clark did know that retreat was sometimes the best plan of approach, running away from demons that meant no harm didn't help. The real harm was that which was circling around in the man's head. Either he really was her son or he thought he was her son. The first was confusing, but the latter was heartbreaking.

Maybe that was why he was at their house, maybe Lois had seen the real tragedy of the situation and she had tried to help the poor soul.

Picking up the phone in the hotel room, she took a deep breath in and then dialed the number for her son's phone. She needed to get all the pieces together so she could figure out what was going on and who was who. If that boy was her son then she definitely wanted to be in his life somehow. Clark was her child, her baby and it didn't matter if he was a reporter investigating a crime, a superhero flying around the planet, or a lord of a new world, all she would ever see was a little boy who had been laughed at as he gently pulled on her hand.

"Mama, can we go home, please?"

…..

…..

This body was too much trouble for Woody Sams, it was a younger and not too unattractive body, sure, but it wasn't really him. He had already committed to public appearance events as the man of steel but he didn't want to do them. As much power as this body once had, it had very little freedom. He wanted his own body back, his old body.

Becky watched her dad and sighed, "You know his spirit might still be out there, that might be one of the reasons you don't have his abilities anymore Daddy."

"Well, not really looking to become a floating ghost hun," Woody said as he looked at the money in front of him. "There's too much going on that I need to keep up with. I regret the whole thing, getting this body means I need to research that Kent guy."

Becky looked down, "Daddy, I did manage to find something you might like to know."

"What's that, kitten?" Woody asked as he picked up the glasses he didn't wear anymore.

"I found your old body," she smiled, "It's in bad shape, but it's still whole, I even…" she pulled out her phone and showed him the body that hadn't been buried yet. It had definitely expired but it could be revived and cleaned up a little, "but if you take your old body back then what happens to this body?"

"It's as dead as Kent is," Woody nodded, "I'll go out tonight and retrieve it, then we'll skip town and go somewhere else."

"You mean, after you get the government to unfreeze your bankrupt bank account," Becky rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do about social security information, citizenship, everything that was signed over to me when you passed apart from that little bit sent to mom."

"Three words, kitten" Woody smiled, "Witness protection program."

Becky sighed as she picked up a wad of cash that was nearby, "I think it's one of your better ideas," she tried to smile. She looked down, hopefully this would work out and they wouldn't be blamed for the death of Clark Kent. Nobody could find out what was going on. It was a good thing that Lois Lane knew her husband wasn't in this body, but there were friends, parents, fans, colleagues.

Maybe keeping the life and work of both Clark Kent and Superman alive for so long was a dishonest thing to do, but he was so much more loved than her father had been. Killing the body was the right and honest thing to do, but the heartbreak of the world especially when it came to the death of Superman, that would surely create a ripple effect.

Becky just hoped that things would work out okay. It was all that she could wish at that moment.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Lois Lane had spent years enjoying the opportunity to sleep alone and wake up whenever she wanted to. It had been part of her young independence and knowing that she could protect herself. She knew that there was no man who could make her feel as safe as when she was alone. Or, that was what she had spent years telling herself before meeting Clark. Now, any time she dreamed without him there they were bad dreams which made her realize she needed him. The previous night she had slept happily curled up to the young man who her husband was inside.

"You sleep okay?" Clark asked as she kissed his shoulder, his cheek, and then his lips.

"Oooh yes," she laughed as she curled up to him. "Did you…you weren't moving a lot so I take it no bad dreams," she ran a few fingers through the blond hair.

"I couldn't sleep," Clark admitted, "Not really, I think I got maybe two hours."

"Mmm," Lois whispered before looking at him, "I'm sure your parents will come around, they have to, they will see that you are their son and then they'll rush to apologize. Trust me, but if you need some coffee I'll…"

"It's okay," Clark replied. "I'll make some, you should get some rest."

"Dear, it's okay, I was going to get up anyway. Let me take care of you this morning, alright," she said softly. She ran a hand down his jaw again and kissed him romantically on the lips. "I love you. Now I'm going to go get you that coffee and then take a shower, you're leaving tonight aren't you?" she asked in disappointment.

"Yes, tonight," Clark nodded before watching her, "It won't be for long until I can move in here permanently and then you are definitely going to help me pick out some clothes. I know you're much better at shopping than I am."

"Well, I do like to put clothes on you…and to take them off," Lois nodded. "I feel awful not having you at the Planet. It's like I can't do the same kind of work. Jimmy is amazing, but he's no Clark Kent. There's nobody like you."

Clark laughed, "Well get used to reading legal documents then because I'll still be writing, but it'll be different. I do feel the want to protect others and the need to speak up for those that can't speak for themselves. I'm excited about studying law."

"Even though lawyers are usually evil and self-involved?" Lois asked.

"Even if that is true. I'll just have to show that the stereotype doesn't work," he reached out for her hand and then kissed it. "I love you, I'm going to go start the coffee."

"Claark," Lois laughed.

At that point, the doorbell rang and Lois smiled to him. "I'll grab a robe and see who it is, you go sort to the coffee," she laughed. As they went downstairs, Lois made sure that Clark was in the kitchen before she opened the door and blinked in shock, "Martha?" she looked around, "It's so early, where's Jonathan, please tell me that everything is okay and he's okay."

Martha hugged her daughter in law before trying to peak in to see if anyone else was there. "Did Clark leave already?" she asked.

"Clark?" Lois asked, "He hasn't been home for days. I don't know when I'll next see him, I would try to get on the phone with him or wait until he contacts you. I'm sorry, Martha, I can't help you find him," Lois said quickly. She didn't want Clark to get hurt and Martha had already rejected him the previous day. She knew why he hadn't slept and she only wanted to protect him.

"I know dear," Martha said, "but I'm not looking for that Clark, I'm looking for my son."

Lois looked confused at her mother-in-law, "I don't understand. I just told you that Clark wasn't here."

Martha raised an eyebrow, "Cute dear, but I'd like to ask my son what is going on and I have the suspicion that if I listen to him this time I'll be able to help him. I am his mother. Now, no matter his age or hair color or even planet of birth, I am his mother and I…" she looked up at the blonde that had just exited the kitchen.

"Mom?" he asked, "I mean," he coughed, "Mrs. Kent, you're back…"

"You're not going to fool me again." Martha's voice showed her stubbornness and her trust in the man before her. She watched him, "Write down your answers to these questions," she said as Clark looked at her surprised. He took the list that she offered him and smiled, these were secret things that even Lois didn't know between him and his mother some of them a bit personal.

"I'll need something to write with," he said with hope in his voice. Was his mother going to accept him if he answered all these questions correctly. He was going to try, "I'll be right back," he said as he went to fill in the questions and finish with the coffee at the same time.

"I thought you didn't trust him and you didn't believe him," Lois said trying to protect the man she loved.

Martha looked down, "You know, I didn't naturally birth Clark, but I raised him from a tiny infant from space into the man he was. Every time he felt sad or defeated, I was there. There was a look of pain in his eyes yesterday, it was something that I was familiar with but I let him down. I didn't listen. If that is my son in there, my Clark, I need to know that because if he needs help, ever needs help, I want to be there for my little boy. You'll understand when you have your own children."

"You still see him as a little boy?" Lois asked with a pensive smile, she nodded, "I get it, you were there for him when he was at his most vulnerable, you were there when he relied on you. Maybe I don't fully understand, but I can imagine."

"I wanted to be the one to keep him safe and keep him protected. I never wanted him to end up as a lab experiment, I wanted him to have the best opportunities available and I fought to give that to him, but I'm not the person he needs, that's you," Martha said before seeing the young man enter the room again. She took the list and as she read the answers her eyes filled with tears and her hand shook.

She opened her arms as she folded the paper and put it in her pocket, "Please, Clark. Can I hold you? Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay, ma" Clark said as he made his way over to his mother and felt her hold him tight, pressing him closer to her so she could hold him and keep him as safe as possible. "I…I'm so thankful you're here. Do you need some coffee?"

"I just need you, my little superman," she said as she watched him. "You're so young," she commented as she wanted to hold him again. She didn't know what was going on but the way that her son and his wife were handling this made her feel that this wasn't a simply temporary issue. "I do need to ask you something?"

"Sure," Clark nodded as he looked at her, "Please let me get you something. I'd feel guilty if I couldn't do anything for you."

"Can I be your mother?" she asked, "I understand if it can't be the same and if I can't be your mother, I still want to be in your life. If I was unable to see you, to talk to you, to help you, I don't think I could survive like that. It doesn't matter what you look like Clark or what your name is -"

"Troy," Clark said quickly, "My new name is Troy."

"Troy," Martha smiled, "a very noble and heroic name. Troy, I would very much like to be a part of your life in any way I possibly can."

"Of course you're in my life," Clark grinned, "You're my mother. You will always be my mother even if it can't be public anymore." He went into his mother's open arms again and let her kiss him and run her fingers all over him trying to memorize this new body and the feel of taking care of him. "Is that okay?"

"That's fine," Martha smiled widely, "It's okay. I don't need the world to know that I'm your mother as long as we know that is all that is important to me."

"What about Dad?" Clark asked nervously, he wanted to hold onto some hope that his father would come around. He had grown up with his father being such a powerful and inspiring figure to him, a person he needed to be like and that he would often watch with such proud feelings that it would definitely hurt were he never to have any kind of relationship with the man.

"He'll come around," Martha replied, "Your father might be stubborn and protective, but he's a very good man, Clark. He just needs some time to get used to the idea. I'll do what I can."

Clark nodded, he felt a twist in his gut but at least things were starting to seem easier and get back to the normal more. He just had to take it slowly. At this moment though there was someone else running around in his body, making the decisions for Clark Kent. As much as he wanted to just release a deep breath and let it go, inside he felt that he couldn't. He had built his life in a certain way and followed certain morals and ethics, but now all of that work he had done was just getting undone.

As the three of them stood around trying to figure out the best step forward, there was another knock on the door.

"Would I be hoping too much for that to be Dad?" Clark asked his mother who was also caught by surprise.

As Lois opened the door though there was a cold chill throughout the room. Standing in the doorway were two police officers and Clark felt his heart beat quicken. Why were they here? Was it about the missing $100 bill? Was it something to do with why he had come here or his family was worried about him? How had they tracked him down here? He had to calm down and he looked up to see his mother watching him concerned.

"Hello, officers" Lois asked, "Little early for you, isn't it?"

Keep Calm. Deep Breaths.

Those were the two things that Clark kept telling himself. If he managed to act cool and calm and clueless, he could investigate what was going on at the same time. He waited to hear what the police were going to say before trying to inspect everything from whether their badges were legitimate to whether they were carrying anything that would be a threat to his family.

"I'm sorry to say but there's been a murder," one of the officers said.

"Murder?" Lois asked as she tried to go through all of the cases that she had investigated recently and anyone who might have been in danger. "Who was murdered?"

"I regret to inform you that the murder was of your husband, Mr. Clark Kent, although I don't know how. He did reveal himself to be Superman and Superman has never died before."

Lois blinked, trying to keep her eyes off of the blonde male to her right. She didn't know what he was going through, but the information about her husband haunted her a little. What was going on? Was this something that would affect Clark, or really Troy, as well.

"We'd like you to come with us and verify the body," the second officer said as Lois nodded.

There had to be a clue in this somewhere because there definitely was a story.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Note:** Wow, it has been a pretty long time for me to update this so thank you to anyone who is reading this and especially to those who waited for this new chapter. I'm actually trying to read The New 52 in order and just read Action Comics 1 so lots of Superman on my mind. Again, thank you for your patience and I really hope anyone who reads this enjoys it.

 **Chapter Eight**

Martha stared at Troy as he tried to steady himself. She knew that the news of his death must be so startling for her son and maybe there was a way of him going back to how he was. Maybe there was a way of him returning to the life of Clark Kent. She hated to admit that she was a little excited by the possibility, but the look on her son's face wasn't of that much hope and excitement.

"Are you alright going by yourself, dear?" she asked as she took a few steps forwards and gently placed a hand on Lois's wrist.

The reporter looked to her and nodded, "It should be fine. I should be fine," she said before looking at Troy for a split second and then turning to her mother in law. "It's going to be so hard to see my husband's body like that, but I think it's best for me to see it. Maybe there will be something that could reveal the truth about the amazing person that Superman was without the cape."

Troy looked at her nervously, "Lois, don't push yourself, alright?" he asked. "I don't want to think about you falling into another tra-"

"I'm fine, Troy," she said as she glanced at him with the love and acceptance that had become the most valued form of comfort in her eyes. "I'll be back before anything can happen. Are you thinking that I'm not a smart and resourceful woman, I could prove to you I am if you want."

"We'll wait for you," Martha said. "So, make sure to come back safely."

Lois nodded before she smiled at Troy again and then left.

Martha sighed deeply, she really hoped that her daughter in law, that her family would be alright but was that just a foolish dream that didn't carry any merit with it? Was she just wishing on stars and not considering the real impact that was going on especially within her family. She turned to look at where Troy was and her eyes widened.

He was gone.

"Oh god," she said slowly, "Please be safe out there, Clark. We can't lose you again."

….

….

Lois looked at the body of Clark Kent…or was it Superman since the glasses had been removed. Sometimes even she had trouble figuring out the right name to call him. However, her husband had insisted that Superman was just someone he could become, some special ability that he could do. The need for this to be Superman wasn't just about the super powers, it was to do with the icon.

Well, the icon for her was always the news reporter. Clark had always told her that the pen was mightier than the sword, that even if you had intelligence and strength that finding the right words was more of a testament to the noble pursuit. He had allowed her to think with that. The man of steel, the superhero, the Lord Kal-El, these had all been called less than a writer with his pen. Of course, she preferred Clark to any other identity – with perhaps Troy being an exception – but that's not who the world really wanted.

They wanted the show. They wanted the cape. They wanted the dream of something else being out there.

All she wanted was her husband. She was glad that the police were giving her a moment alone after the identification of the body was done. She didn't know how she could show that she wasn't as deep in mourning as they thought. Still, this was a goodbye, it was her saying a goodbye to her husband's body, the shell he had been using for so lo-

She heard a noise behind her and turned around to see Troy there. She shook her head, "I knew you'd follow me."

"What kind of reporter would you be if that detail slipped your mind?" Troy asked in a joking manner.

"What kind of a wife would I be if I wasn't fully in tune with my husband," Lois commented before taking a step forward and brushing her fingers through her husband's hair.

Troy shivered a little as he felt the same action being done to him. He didn't know how but he and this body were still connected. He didn't know if that would be possible, they had said that he would never be able to get his old life now but the more Lois touched him, the more he could feel it through this new body.

"Is everything alright with you?" Lois asked in concern as she turned to look back at Troy.

"I felt that," Troy said, "Stand back," he said slowly before going over to his old body and closed his eyes. He reached his hand out and instead of feeling his fingers slip around Clark Kent's body, he felt them slip into. With a deep inhale, Clark imagined himself stepping into the body and before he knew it, he was there on the table as the corpse seemed to be reanimated.

"Hey," he said noticing that his voice was his own and saw her eyes widen.

Lois clapped a hand to her mouth, she didn't know what to say but this was her husband moving again and the body of Troy O'Neil was slumped onto the ground below. She felt the tears in her eyes. "It is still…"

"I think," Clark said before looking at the body of the blond, "I don't feel like I've clicked though. It's like I'm wearing a skin," he said, "Not that I'm actually inside of it."

Lois saw the desperate way that he looked at Troy, she didn't know what her husband was thinking about this, but she loved him. If he needed to be Troy instead of Clark, then that was what he needed. She had needed things in the past herself and he had always been there to support her. It would be wrong for her to just ignore his wants to focus on her own.

"Go back," she told him, "We'll figure things out. Just go back to being Troy."

Clark looked at her and held out a hand, "Isn't this the body that you want?" he asked her as Lois looked at him, placing a hand on each cheek.

"I want you. I don't care about your body, I care about your heart, your soul. Whatever you need to do, well whatever it is I'll be there beside you," she promised him. "You say you can't connect to the body of Clark Kent, but try Troy's again."

Clark nodded before he felt that he clicked with the younger body and got up off the floor.

Troy looked at the woman he loved before staring back at the body. "I know what I want to do," he told her, "but first, I have to ask you to get out of here. I can't have you connected to this. I need you to be safe and I need you to be with a police officer who can witness the event," he said slowly as she stared at him confused.

"Troy?" she asked, "I will, but is it possible for me to know what you're doing? You say we always need to face things as a team, if you get hurt…"

"I'm going to relocate Clark Kent's body to a place where I'll be able to use it later. I'll find somewhere to freeze it so it doesn't undergo decay. Then I feel as if there's a way to get the true Troy back his body. Once I find his spirit, I'll leave this body and enter that one," he pointed to his former body. "I just need time to think about the best method to…"

"This madness," Lois teased.

"Exactly," Troy smiled back. "I want to be able to give this body back to the correct spirit, I want to thank this boy for giving me a way of finding you again. I just need you to leave this room right now."

Lois nodded, "Alright, but I do get to ask you one thing. With all these people thinking that you, or rather both Clark and Superman are dead, how do you get them to accept the news that you've returned and that your death isn't as permanent as originally believed."

Troy shrugged, "Why question the logic behind Superman?" he asked which Lois accepted as just as good a reason as any other.

….

….

Jonathan paled as he listened to the news that had just been reported. He had been shocked and overwhelmed with the grief that his son, his little boy who he had helped become interested in the world, had passed away, but that his body had been stolen too was horrifying.

All the farmer could think of was that there was a team of scientists who had bypassed the legal methods of securing the body – though Jonathan would have fought for them not to even be able to touch the body of his son – and were now doing research on it. He had always known that to others, the information that they could collect about alien lifeforms and galactic oddities would always weigh more heavily than respecting his son's life and the love from those who knew him.

He felt guilty.

If only he had protected his son more, told him about all of the dangers that existed out there in the world, well he might not have brought Clark up with such naiveite about the real despicableness people can hold. He was just getting his coat on and planning how to approach the people who had last been in possession of Clark's body, when he opened the door to see Martha standing there with the boy he had seen before. This was the kid with the impossible story.

"Jonathan," Martha said with a stern look, "I know you're aware that everyone believes that Clark is dead, but I know that your love for your son is far more important than your feeling of pride and your need to have wariness about trust. This," she gestured to Troy, "is our son, but in a different form."

Jonathan stared ahead at Troy as he saw the way the kid was acting.

He had to admit that the gestures and posture that this kid had were exactly like his son's at that age. He remembered a particularly memorable time when Clark had set the fence of another farm on fire by accident and had tried his best to stop the damages. It had led to a couple of escaped pigs and some scorched grass but he had done his best to help the farmer.

Clark had always been a good kid.

"I'm so sorry, dad" Troy looked down, he knew he might be in trouble with his new family for staying this long in Metropolis, but the things that needed to be sorted out now were matters of so high importance it made everything else look mundane. "I should have used my wits like you told me, I should have had less trust and more sense,"

"Honey, that's going a little overboard," Martha tried to tell him. She knew that Clark was hurting, but these words weren't the ones she wanted to hear. She never wanted to let anybody, even her own husband, take away the morals and ethics that made up Clark Kent or Troy O'Neil now.

"I can't accept you as my son," Jonathan said, "my son died. I don't know what kind of mind control you've executed on my wife, but you are no son of mine," he said as Troy's eyes widened.

Martha looked towards her son and saw his fear grow stronger with every heartbeat, before she could help him calm, he had taken off and Jonathan looked after him with wide eyes.

"Did he just?" he asked as he pointed in the direction of where Troy had gone.

"That's right," Martha nodded, "Our son just flew away from you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Note:** Even though it's been a while between updates, I hope you like this 😊 I just read Action Comics #5 for the New 52 and it was really an incredible read. Can't wait to start reading Superman Rebirth 😊 Well I hope you enjoy

 **Chapter Nine – Seeing Him There**

Lois looked over the different articles that people had written for rival newspapers about the death of Superman and the fact that Clark Kent, a rural farmboy, had really been the one who had been protecting the earth from new dangers. The journalists had definitely tried to write a good story, but they all lacked the depth in their writing when they tried to show who Superman and ultimately all sides of Clark were.

She looked through the pages and then smiled as she remembered her own time with her husband. At least, she still thought of him as her husband, was that acceptable? After all of the things that the two of them had been through together, didn't she have the right to think of him as close as she needed to. She paused as she heard the elevator open and quickly turned towards it.

She smiled as she saw Jimmy enter with Troy.

"Morning," she tried to keep her composure as she looked at the two of them. She was about to approach Troy and say something sweet that would reassure him that she was there to support him and that she loved him, but she couldn't do that with their coworkers. "So, I think chief said it's up to you to show Troy here the ropes, Jimmy…or is it James,"she said teasingly.

"Come on Lois, it's always gonna be Jimmy," Jimmy smiled before looking at Troy. "So, this is going to be interesting," he said before playfully rolling his eyes. "Try to keep up when I show you things today, this business doesn't work on super speed or X-ray vision and if there's something that you don't understand, speak up. Only someone who has been working with editorials for years would know how to do these things."

"Oh really," Troy smiled as the three of them knew that this wasn't really going to be a stressful training, "Well, I'll make sure to keep reminding myself that, Mr. Olson."

"That's going to be really weird," Jimmy commented before looking back at him, "You know, Jimmy, Jimmy is fine." He looked away with a soft smile, "After all of those things that I've had to deal with and especially after I had my youth sucked from me, I had a really good friend in Clark Kent. That guy didn't put himself first, he made sure to take care of the people who were important to him. Superman took care of people he didn't even know and people who were against him, but Clark…"

"Might come back," Troy shrugged as Jimmy stared at him confused.

"You did hear that they said the body is…" Jimmy began before reading the expression on face of the man opposite him. He didn't want to question logic with the man who was once Superman. Clark knew a lot about being human, but Kal-El knew a lot about things Jimmy would never dream of. "Heh, well I'd love to see that happen."

"I wonder if he could ever come back and work for this paper," Troy mused and Jimmy nodded energetically.

"Yeah, I mean, sure he could. I bet the readers will even triple in numbers once they figure out that Superman is writing for the Daily Planet again. Not sure how many crime exposees there are in that but I mean a big name like Superman," Jimmy said as Troy nodded.

"I'll have to test it out," Troy smiled before looking down at the tables. "So, I think it's best if you start showing me how a news office is run."

Jimmy laughed as he looked at the recent pictures of Superman, "Sure thing. I'd better take advantage of this chance to boss you around CK," he said as he whispered the nickname. Troy laughed and followed him as they started their work around the office.

Lois watched after Troy longingly. She wondered whether people could see them sharing these looks or peeking back at one another. She wondered how strange she had become to her colleagues. There was something different between finding out that someone was lucky enough to have fallen in love with and married a superhero and a woman who kept looking at a kid when her own husband had recently died. Even though to Lois the two were the same, all three of them were her Clark, to an outside observer it might be seen as wrong or even perverted.

Lois took a deep breath in and turned, she was about to get on with her work before finding that she was staring at a man's shoes. She looked guiltily up into the face of Perry White.

….

…

Lois tried to steady herself as she sat in the editor's office, she raised her eyebrow as she took in her boss and tried to keep her mind on the fact that she was a woman who was at the height of what was traditionally a man's profession. She watched Perry as he seemed to be concentrating on some files before him.

From a quick glance at them, she knew they were all articles about Clark.

"Lois," he said in a dark voice, "I've been watching you and aww, let's just say that there are some women who don't believe in aliens and some who do."

Lois coughed, "I'd be surprised if there's many people in a country where Superman existed, or even in a world where Superman coexisted with them that would fight you on the existence of aliens," she argued in her usual headstrong manner. Perry frowned.

"Well, maybe that wasn't such a great example, but tell me this, news was just found that your husband was dead. I know you two were trying to get through a divorce, which heck, that alone is bad, but for him to die and you to return to work as usual," Perry tried to explain his thought pattern and Lois looked at him, her eyes showing how she was trying to read him as much as he was trying to read the situation.

"You're saying that you don't think Clark and I are broken up?" she asked as Perry frowned.

"Is Clark dead?" he asked, "Look, you know that I care about you crazy kids. You should know that I also respect everything that Clark did both as you know himself and Superman, but I can't go on pretending that you're not in mourning and pretending that I am okay with it. So, is he dead?"

Lois looked away, "I hate to tell you, chief," she said trying to put a wall up between them so as not to break the trust she had with the man she loved, "but it's complicated. The man we knew as Clark Kent is dead, that was Clark Kent's body that…"

"I know it's his body," Perry said as Lois felt that he was getting to be on the right track and she didn't know how problematic that would be, "I'm not talking about his body, I'm talking about his soul. Now if you tell me that Kent's in a peanut butter and banana sandwich, well I might have to question you on that, but I think that his soul has been placed inside of that boy," he said as Lois turned to Troy.

Was it that obvious?

"Perry, what are you trying to say?" Lois sighed exhausted. She didn't know how much longer she could deal with this, everything surrounding this event in her and her husband's lives seemed to be getting more complex and less easy to smooth out. First there was Jonathan Kent to deal with and now there was Perry White. Why couldn't things come easily anymore.

Red Kryptonite now seemed easier to figure out than whatever was going on here.

"I'm saying that not a lot of wives would be so easy going after they thought that the man they loved and were loved by passed away and not a lot of kids like Jimmy would be able to bounce back either. Look, Lois, I know that with my epic dance moves and my smooth way with the ladies I may sometimes come across as incompetent, but I'm not. There's a reason why I'm editor in chief of this paper," he smiled. "And I'd say that if that really is Kent in there, it's a good thing for all of us that we still have some version of him in our lives."

Lois paused and looked away, "Even if it was Clark in there, that's not my secret to tell…"

"Ah, admission by omission," Perry nodded, "I told you I was a smart guy, but…"

"Can you try to at least pretend until he tells you?" Lois asked, "It was meant to be a secret, if anyone knows that he's not…that he might be someone else you can bet that they'd be coming for him. Nobody should know he's in another body and all I'm looking to do is keep him safe."

"Roger that," Perry smiled. "We'll have to both work on that aim together."

….

….

Jonathan looked over at his wife, he was still attempting to get his head wrapped around all of the things that he had been told over the past two days. It seemed too much to go through. His son had switched bodies and then died in somebody else's body. He had somehow been able to return back to life but had been put into a third person's body. Meanwhile, his original body had died and all of the super powers stayed with the soul.

Well, he knew that his child was different, he had known that ever since he had rescued him from that ship that had brought him to earth. However, what was going on now broke so many of the logical rules that Jonathan Kent had followed in his life.

What was really hurting him however wasn't the fact that Clark had gone through three or four bodies Just as someone might go through three or four rolls of bandages, it wasn't even the fact that he had died and been brought back to life. No, the thing that hurt him so much more than any of that was the knowledge that Clark had been hurt because of him, because of his inability to listen.

He could imagine the young boy feeling alienated and lost as a child. He could see him with people attempting to hurt him, with being scared that he was different. One of the things that Johnathan had tried to reassure his son of were the bonds between family members. The fact that those bonds were strengthened by unconditional love.

And that was the question.

Was he able to love Troy? Before, when he had had the chance to express the emotions, he had frozen up. He had been held back by logic and that had stopped the love from showing through. Now that he understood that his son was now inside of Troy, that his son had turned into Troy, he wanted another chance. He loved his son no matter what.

It just sometimes felt that his heart couldn't take it.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Please Enjoy

 **Chapter 10**

Troy sat silently on the roof of his house. He stared out into the sky, watching the stars which, despite him now being in a 'human' body felt much more like home than they had before. He felt as if, by taking the body of a younger man, he had stolen from the planet that had accepted him…for the most part. When he closed his eyes, he sometimes had thoughts about being trapped in the body of Luthor or of someone else who might have done this for their own benefit.

Of course, Woody _had_ done this for his own benefit.

He still felt as if he had his own powers, but it was strange having to apply them to a new body. He had stowed his old body in a safe place where he could retrieve it after he was able to figure everything out. _When_ he could figure things out however, well that was a question that nobody knew the answer to.

Hearing the sounds of the bugs in the trees, he wrapped his arms around himself. This was much more difficult than it had been before.

When he had first found out that he had been placed in this body, he was confused and didn't know how to handle it. He had had to learn the limitations that Troy O'Neil had and the way he could move every joint to get full advantage. Now that he was comfortable in this body there seemed more emotional issues. First of all, he had people who knew who he was and supported him, but then again his father didn't seem to be within that group.

He had played with his dad a lot as a kid, his dad had always been there to support him, his dad had even tried to protect him no matter what forces he encountered. His dad also had a weak heart. To be pressured to believe that he was Clark Kent in a different body wasn't something that he felt comfortable forcing on him.

If Jonathan Kent died from a heart attack, Clark - or rather Troy, would have no idea how to take such a blow.

He had faced guns, technology, even intergalactic life forces. He had even fought against Kryptonite of different colors. He could _not_ face the death of a close family member. That feeling was probably felt all throughout space.

He heard the sound of someone else getting up on the roof and looked across to see Lois there. "Honey, should you be up here?" he asked. "Let me take you-"

"If you think for one moment that I can't handle this," Lois said stubbornly, "Then you really haven't learned anything about me." She took a few steps forward and sat down next to Troy. "I know this is where you go when you feel lost," she said as she reached for his hand. "It's as if staring into space can calm your mind."

"Well, usually," Troy sighed. "There's far too much to think about tonight," he smiled to her. "Though I am glad that you decided to join me."

Lois smiled and moved her body closer to his. "I know I've said this before, but I would have really loved to have seen your planet."

"And I always remind you that _this_ is my planet," Troy commented as he gestured to the view.

Lois sighed, "Earth will always be your home planet," she smiled. "However, I think that there is something to say about an origin. Are you really thinking that you'll be able to track down _his_ soul?" she asked referring to Troy. If her husband wasn't such a good and noble man then he would never have been called 'Super'. She could see his strength as she watched him and feel the strong love in his heart.

"I hope so," Troy nodded as he smiled to her. "I just need to thank him for the use of his body. Of course, if I went back into my own body that would mean that his family could mourn," Troy ran his fingers through his hair seeming to get a little defeated with the thought of all this. "I also hate to admit it, but revealing my human identity wasn't something I wanted. It's going to put everyone in danger, I mean you're…" he caught Lois' look.

"I've already been in danger and if the choice is between taking a few risks in life and being with you versus never being able to see you again, you should know which one I'd choose without a second thought," Lois came closer to Troy and felt his arms wrap her in close.

"You really are stubborn," he laughed.

"Well, I thought that was one of the traits you liked about me," Lois grinned as she enjoyed the time that she could have with the man that she loved.

"It's one of the things that we compliment each on, definitely," Clark smiled as he felt Lois now being the one to run _her_ fingers through his new hair. He had to try to figure out a way that all of this made sense. Maybe if he tracked down the man that Woody had used and try to seek some cosmic energy shift. It all sounded pretty bizarre, but those were the choices he was left with.

"So," Lois smiled as she effectively broke him from his thoughts. "Is there anything that you want to do tomorrow or do you have to go back to your new home and set things right?" she asked as she placed a hand on his cheek. She didn't want him to leave, but this was still new ground for them as a couple.

"My father," Troy sighed as he looked into the night's sky. "I'd love to speak with him, but I don't want to risk his health."

"Well, I'll talk to him and see what we can do. Perhaps he'd be ready to talk to you," she said feeling guilty that she might have raised his hopes only for him to be faced with future disappointment.

"I hope so, but even if he's not. I still love him," Troy nodded.

Lois kissed his cheek, "Of course you do," she told him with love in her voice, "He's still your father. So, do I have to climb down or," she laughed as Troy took her in his arms and they sank softly and slowly towards the ground.

….

….

The next morning, the Kents were arriving at the house and Troy couldn't be more anxious about the way that they were going to handle the news. His mother was fine, he had already spoken to her and they had worked out their relationship. He knew that whereas the world wouldn't see him as her son, they still had a very special bond between them. They were still family even if the rules had to be bent.

It was his father that he was worried about.

In his youth he had allowed himself to be hurt and bullied without striking back because he didn't want to hurt anyone. However, with every taunt or attack, his dad would talk to him and tell him how much it meant that he could use nonviolence as a weapon. His dad would always make time for him and he had grown up wanting to be just like the farmer.

Inside he had never stopped feeling like a farm boy from Kansas.

Maybe it was foolish to want to get those things back. After all, it was a different time and he had had to put his father through so much just because of his abilities. Maybe his father had always disliked the fact that he had them and so now that he was no longer known to the world as a Kent, it was time to cut ties.

He saw Lois greeting her parents-in-law at the door and so stood feeling the anxiety and hating the fear that came from seeing two individuals he loved so much.

As soon as she saw him, Martha rushed forwards and wrapped her arms around him. "Hi, darling," she said as she kissed his cheek. "I'm glad I get to see you and here I was thinking that you had gone back home."

"I should be, but my new family thinks I've moved out here to an apartment," Troy told her before his eyes moved up and he looked at his father.

He wasn't expecting that, without him even saying anything at all, his dad would be giving him a hug as well. He blinked in surprise, trying not to break the emotions that were present at that moment. "Oh son," Jonathan said as he took a few steps back and put a hand on the back of Troy's head. "I'm sorry, you think you can forgive me."

"'Course, Pa" Troy smiled as he returned the hug and then felt his hero hug him again.

Finally he felt as if he were home again.


End file.
